A Stockton-based promoter who made waves with some Gilroyans when it announced it will be hosting its own garlic festival recently unveiled details of the event.
The California Garlic Festival will be held at the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds on Aug. 13-14. The Tony Noceti Group, which puts on events such as the San Joaquin Asparagus Festival, described the garlic festival in a press release as a “wholesome, family fun event focused on local entertainment, community leadership, and the Valley’s vast agriculture.”
The two-day event will feature the “Cali Garlic Alley,” where dishes such as garlic fries, garlic pesto pasta, garlic mushroom and onion bread bowls will be served, as well as maple brown sugar garlic ice cream.
The California Garlic Festival will also host a Show and Shine Car Display with hot rods, muscle cars and low-riders, interactive cooking demonstrations, local entertainment performing on the community stage, the Miss California Garlic Festival Scholarship Pageant & Princess Program, a large fruit stand market selling local fruits, vegetables and goods, monster truck rides, petting zoo, photography contest, a carnival and more.
In May, shortly after the Gilroy Garlic Festival Association announced that it would no longer host a “massive” event, the Tony Noceti Group announced over social media that it “couldn’t let that happen,” and stated that it would be putting on its own garlic festival.
The news sparked headlines nationwide that the Gilroy Garlic Festival was “back,” but in Stockton. The Gilroy Garlic Festival Association, however, said Noceti’s event was not sanctioned by the local association.
For information, visit cagarlicfestival.com.
